Back in 1991, while Jello Biafra sang the best track from this e.p.'s refrain (Tumor Circus was a short lived collaboration between Biafra, Steel Pole Bath Tub and Grong Grong [wonder what happened to them?]), we all sang along. Now the lyrics to 'Swine Flu' seem a little more poignant.But the culprit behind the outbreak of Tumor Circus's 'Swine Flu' is a cat, and despite all the conspiracies that we have all no doubt been reading and hearing about both in and out of the media, cats have not been seriously discussed in connection to the recent outbreak of an apparent deadly disease that is winging its way to your very neighbourhood.
But hey, don't fear.
For as Biafra goes on to assure us, everything in the news is exaggerated and mediated to the point where all is sensationalised ('Take Me Back or I'll Drown Our Dog'). The fear is ratcheted up, attempting to make us all scared shitless - scared to go outside, scared of each other, scared of the unknown and scared of the unseen - so we all sit eagerly around the propaganda machines waiting for someone (Brown, Obama, Bono, Moby...) to save us from that nasty, horrible, spiteful world.
'Fireball' is an existential response to such a seemingly corrupt and unfriendly place - I mean, if everyone's out to get you, why should you give a shit about anybody else, right...? 'So it goes.'
Tumor Circus e.p. (1991)
Take Me Back or I'll Kill Our Dog
Swine Flu
Fireball
Excellent vinyl rip @320kbs
Inoculate yourself here
8 comments:
Great project.
A random question. Given what you've posted here...I have been looking to replace my (very trashed) copy of "wilt" by the Blue Daisies. I have had no luck finding it.
It would be a wonderful post to add to the stuff you have here, imho...if'n you've got it that is.
Guess I'm not the only one that has had "swine flu" running through their head all day. Great album, great blog. Keep it up, Roy!
very happy to have found your blog. there is have found some great obscure stuff here. do you mean grong grong?? an australian band from the eighties named after a small town near where i live (wagga wagga). to my knowledge they were not from around here though. i have a tape of them playing live somewhere. maybe its this one
http://www.innercitysound.com.au/GrongGrong.html
Yes I did mean Grong Grong...
I'll just fix that [!]
They were the band (I'm sure Alternative Tentacles put them out) who sang 'Grong Grong is a coming...'
but then they disappared...
Thanks for the link; I'll check that out.
Shanti, roy
Icastico.
Thanks for comment.
Can't help you with your request I'm afraid.
You could try asking here:
http://youngmosstongue.blogspot.com
he's a nice man who might be able to sort you out. Good luck.
roy
Hey, PC.
Good to hear from you.
Great minds, huh...
roy
Roy,
Thanks, it was a stab in the dark...Michael at ymt (I agree, a nice guy) pointed me to Phoenix Hairpins, but no luck...also, Mutant Sounds has a bunch of related stuff, but "Wilt" seems to be the only album ever put out that is not posted anywhere on the web.
Which is odd give the Brad Laner connection.
hye mate, just to let you know those reprobates from Grong Grong are back!! older, much (f)uglier but still lurching about. their album was reissued with bonus material too... charlie tolnay played guitar on the tumor circus album... a great guitarist, a mad man but also unfortunately prone to some addictions that did not due him any good. nor his brother michael who sings for Grong Grong but both fuckers still alive and kicking. - oh and they're from adelaide, south australia.
Thanks for this! The 12" was far better than the LP in my opinion, Steel Pole Bath Tub are a vastly underrated band, everyone should check out 'Lurch'!
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